Diet Lucerne Hay

[awkwardnoodles]

I have heard that lucerne hay is bad for piggies but currently it's the only option available other than straw. Is lucerne okay for them to eat? Otherwise they have no hay at all. Thanks,


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[Shieme]

They say it's alfalfa hay which is okay for younger pigs. When they reach full growth then you have to switch. You can order online if you have a credit card or a prepaid credit card.

 

[Soecara]

Lucerne hay is just another name for Alfalfa hay.

It is a legume hay not a grass hay so it is not okay for it to be their only hay, it is too high in calcium and does nothing for their teeth. Even young guinea pigs should only be given Alfalfa hay in addition to a grass hay. If they don't get a grass their teeth will overgrow, legume hays just simply don't have the same abrasive qualities as grass.

I personally have very limited hay options near me, so I feed my guinea pigs oat hay/oaten hay, it is less ideal than some other kinds of hay but it is fresh, cheap, and is a grass so it gets the job done. This chart has a list of hay types and their nutritional content, hays with the name listed in a yellow box are legume hays whereas the ones with their name in a green box are grass hays https://www.guinealynx.info/hay_chart.html

Even fresh grass is okay to feed if there are no other options, you just need to be careful to pick it fresh (from an area that hasn't been treated with chemicals or used as a toilet by other animals), and slowly work them up to eating larger amounts of it as if you need to give their systems a chance to adjust to fresh grass to avoid them developing intestinal upset.